House Beautiful: Nesting in the woods

The mantle was designed for a flat-screen TV, but the owners decided they didn't want one. Cabinet mullions echo the Japanese style of the doors.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Julie Bolton and their three sons all play the piano. She and her husband enjoy hosting musical parties and love to practice their dance steps in the expanded living room.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

A terracotta-coloured dining room and mustard yellow living room are part of a large area that’s cleverly defined by corners, beams and varying ceiling heights.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

The scale of the kitchen reflects the scale of the house. No giant island for these owners.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Everyone in this family loves to read, especially in the new library with its glossy jatoba woodwork and broad display counter.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

The library bathroom.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

The quiet and private master suite is up a few steps, separated from the family room by a passageway and two doors.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Double doors from the master bedroom lead to a small patio, whichFrances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

A pony wall divides the master bedroom from the ensuite, which is trimmed in teak, with a shower behind a curved wall of glass block and a large tub.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Work in progress.Handout photo
/ Victoria Times Colonist

The garage was formerly a dilapidated storage area and eyesore that didn’t blend in with the house. Now roofed and sided to match the house, it has become Brian’s workshop.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Before: The garage was formerly a dilapidated storage area and eyesore that didn’t blend in with the house. Now roofed and sided to match the house, it has become Brian’s workshop.Handout photo
/ Victoria Times Colonist

The new entry, at the front of the house, has waist-high stone bases on the posts to give it presence. Rock used for the landscaping was saved after blasting on the site.Frances Litman
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Before: The original entrance was "classically bad," said owner Brian Bolton. "The front door was off to the side where you couldn't even see it, and opened into a closetsized entry."Handout photo
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Before: Living room fireplace coming out and new kitchen going in during the home renovation.Handout photo
/ Victoria Times Colonist

Before: The drab old kitchen was stuck in a former era.Handout photo
/ Victoria Times Colonist

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For more than a year, Julie and Brian Bolton discussed scenarios for renovating their Metchosin home. They wanted to expand it to make it more livable for their family, including three growing sons.

"But after ages of researching, my husband and I didn't have the same picture of what we wanted; there was no meeting of the minds," said Julie.

"We couldn't seem to agree on how to do it."

And then the couple saw a cover story in Sunset Magazine featuring a home designed by Victoria architect Jim Pitcher. "We both instantly loved it and suddenly we started going in the same direction."

They soon realized they had another problem. "We thought, no way is this architect going to be interested in our house," groaned Julie. "We didn't have a million dollar waterfront property or an unlimited budget, and our house didn't look anything like the ones he had designed."

But she plucked up her courage and phoned him anyway. Pitcher told the couple he would consider their project only after they had done some serious soul-searching and had projected what they wanted their house to look like in 10, 15 and 20 years.

Luckily, Julie was able to declare that they had worked on precisely that for the past year.

"It was a small project for our firm," Pitcher said this week. He specializes in luxurious waterfront homes, guest cottages, country inns, wineries and community centres in the Gulf Islands.

"And we typically do brand-new construction, not renovations."

But he liked the Boltons and has always felt the West Shore is somewhat akin to the Gulf Islands.

So the three put their heads together to create a home flooded with natural light, with a dining nook, spacious master suite and stylish exterior.

'One of the critical points was, we wanted to maintain an intimate relationship with the site," said Pitcher, whose company Irving Pitcher Architects is based on Mayne Island and in Victoria. The builder was Dave Dare of Road's End Contracting in Sooke.

The reno took place a few years ago, but thanks to strategic planning, it still suits the Boltons perfectly, even though their sons have now flown from the nest.

Julie and Brian, who bought their Metchosin home in 1991, loved the way it nestles into a wooded area that runs down to Bilston Creek. But the interiors were dark and the rooms small.

"We did a series of improvements over the years, just what we could afford at the time," said Julie, 55, a former registered nurse who homeschooled their children and now volunteers at Victoria Hospice.

"We opened up the entranceway, put in wood windows and new floors, took out the dark wood panelling and the orange shag."

But the piecemeal renovations lacked cohesion and, this time, they wanted a complete plan to tie it all together.

Today, their polished new kitchen, living and dining areas are connected, but not one huge room. Instead, they form a T shape, with distinct areas defined by ceiling beams and a large, open gathering space in the middle.

It's perfect for the Boltons, who are ballroom dancers and can now rhumba or cha cha to their hearts' content just by pushing back a little of the furniture.

"We can do everything but the tango or waltz, which need just a little more room," joked Julie, who noted their house is now a magnet for large family gatherings. Both she and their sons are musicians, and they've enjoyed many a jam session in the new space.

The kitchen used to face the forest, while the living room looked out on the driveway - with a massive brick fireplace separating the two. Pitcher flipped them, so the living room now faces the trees. It and the master bedroom, as well as a new library, are all focused on the privacy and natural beauty of the trees.

The central fireplace and black painted beams, "which gave it a Spanish grotto look," said Brian, are gone.

The library, a brand new space in what was formerly the master bedroom, is one of his favourite rooms: "We have a lot of books and we all like to read."

By removing two of the bedroom's walls, they created a welcoming space that opens onto both the main hallway and family room. It makes the whole house feel lighter and brighter, he said.

Keeping partial walls has added a sense of enclosure and privacy, said the architect, while the inclusion of a double-sided bookcase with a wide top offers generous display space.

Quebec-born Brian, 56, is a keen woodworker and detail person. Always drawn to a Japanese look, he nonetheless finds it too austere, whereas Arts and Crafts is too heavy for his taste.

The couple asked their architect to create a light esthetic, but one that was not austere. "And we can't say enough about Jim. He nailed it," Brian said.

The result is a subtle Japanese flavour evident in the sleek lines of woodwork and cabinets, the simple and elegant joinery, and windows with horizontal lines running through.

Fourteen years ago, Brian and his business partner bought FTS Forest Technology Systems, which makes weather-monitoring stations. While still involved in the company, he is semiretired and has time to pursue hobbies like woodworking. He made many of their furniture pieces and is currently designing a dining table while finishing a kingsize bed for their new master bedroom.

"He and Julie had originally wanted to add a master suite upstairs, but we felt that would change the nature of the home too much," said Pitcher.

"It would have made the house too high, too overbearing, and would have removed their bedroom from any relationship with the site."

Instead, the bedroom was added at ground level, and the Boltons are delighted.

"It ended up being super quiet because of the small connector hall and two doors between it and the family room," Brian said.

It's perfect, he said, for "that stage when kids stay up later than you do."

Thanks to some surgical blasting, the new suite snuggles down into the rock and flows into the forest via a small patio outside two French doors.

Julie was quick to salvage some of the giant boulders she saw being removed from the site one day. She had them placed in the landscape to dramatic effect.

The renovation - which added 640 square feet and brought the total area to 2,600 square feet - did encounter some challenges. For example, the roof had not been framed well in the first place. But aside from some technical issues, all went smoothly, the couple said.

During the seven-month job, the owners rented a place 20 minutes away and rode their bikes over daily to check on the progress. It was hardly a workout for these two, who have cycled from London to Edinburgh, Oregon to California, Banff to Edmonton and all around Provence, and are planning an ambitious ride through India.

Looking back, the Boltons realize they could have built a new home for the same cost as their renovations over the past 20 years, but they say this house has always felt like home. A lot of that has to do with the scale and intimacy of the details.

"Everything in the house is done on a human scale, which is one reason it feels inviting and warm," Julie said.

A CELEBRATION OF STYLE ON THE HOME FRONT

Writer Grania Litwin and photographer Frances Litman are known for their sense of style and knowledge of outstanding design. They tour homes around the south Island, talking to homeowners, interior designers, architects and artists who influence the way we live.

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